The Offseason Review Series: Jordan Staal

Over the next few weeks, The Pond will take a look at how different aspects of the team performed throughout the 2010-2011 season, and consider the criticisms offered about them. This will be a series of posts updated pretty frequently to give us as fans an opportunity to look towards the 2011-12 season and discuss any areas which we would like to see the Pens improve upon in the future.

Jordan Staal

Craig Adams Wants A Raise

This is a little late, but better late than never. Craig Adams seems to want a raise from his 1 year deal of $550,000 that he made last year. This throws a wrench into The Pond's reasoning behind the Penguin free agents of this summer. This probably throws an even bigger wrench in to Ray Shero's plan leading up to the NHL's free agency beginning almost a month from now.  

20 Years Ago Today: 1990-91 Stanley Cup Champions

It was 20 years ago today the Penguins lifted their first of three Stanley Cups on the road in Minnesota against the North Stars.  After the jump some videos and links.  

EA Sports NHL 2012

EA Sports put out their first video giving gamers a look into the new hockey game.  Looks like there is a new physics engine and players will play to their size.  The designers also look to have enabled player battles in front of the net, as well as "live goalies," which basically seems to mean that goalies will be flopping all over the ice, a la Tim Thomas.  They also added "glass breaking checks," which will of course delay game play, but you know it is really realistic since that actually happens about once a season in the NHL.  You can also fight with the goalies, which is pretty awesome for those Pens fans wanting to reenact Brent Johnson's KO punch.  The one thing that EA did get right was to add the ability to play in the Winter Classic at Heinz Field.  It looks from the video to be the only venue offered for New Years Day Tradition, but it is a start.  We will see how these new features work out and overall, they seem to be an attempt to make the NHL series more authentic and that is something hockey fans can appreciate.  Video from IGN below.

More NHL 12 Videos

The Offseason Review Series: Max Talbot

Over the next few weeks, The Pond will take a look at how different aspects of the team performed throughout the 2010-2011 season, and consider the criticisms offered about them. This will be a series of posts updated pretty frequently to give us as fans an opportunity to look towards the 2011-12 season and discuss any areas which we would like to see the Pens improve upon in the future.

Max Talbot

HBO Set To Release 24/7

The Offseason Review Series: The Power Play

Over the next few weeks, The Pond will take a look at how different aspects of the team performed throughout the 2010-2011 season, and consider the criticisms offered about them. This will be a series of posts updated pretty frequently to give us as fans an opportunity to look towards the 2011-12 season and discuss any areas which we would like to see the Pens improve upon in the future.

THE POWER PLAY

The Offseason Review Series: Tyler Kennedy

Over the next few weeks, The Pond will take a look at how different aspects of the team performed throughout the 2010-2011 season, and consider the criticisms offered about them. This will be a series of posts updated pretty frequently to give us as fans an opportunity to look towards the 2011-12 season and discuss any areas which we would like to see the Pens improve upon in the future.

Tyler Kennedy

The Offseason Review Series: Coach Dan Bylsma

Over the next few weeks, The Pond will take a look at how different aspects of the team performed throughout the 2010-2011 season, and consider the criticisms offered about them. This will be a series of posts updated pretty frequently to give us as fans an opportunity to look towards the 2011-12 season and discuss any areas which we would like to see the Pens improve upon in the future. Up first:

Coach Dan Bylsma

Pens Sign Forward Zach Sill

From the Pens Website:

The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed forward Zach Sill to a two-year contract, it was announced by executive vice president and general manager Ray Shero.

Sill, 23, has played the last two seasons in the Penguins organization with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton – Pittsburgh’s top minor-league affiliate. In 134 games with WBS, he posted 16 goals, 41 points, 133 penalty minutes and a plus-19 rating.

In 2010-11, Sill recorded 11 goals, 30 points, 85 penalty minutes and a plus-16 rating while appearing in all 80 games for WBS. He chipped in three points (1G-2A) in 12 postseason games.

The Truro, Nova Scotia native played two years (2007-09) of junior hockey with Moncton of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Sill totaled 27 goals, 50 points and 173 penalty minutes in 124 contests for the Wildcats

 Just your ordinary depth move by Ray Shero.  The wheels are beginning to turn towards free agency.

The Offseason Review Series.

Over the next few weeks, The Pond will take a look at how different aspects of the team performed throughout the 2010-2011 season, and consider the criticisms offered about them.  This will be a series of posts updated pretty frequently to give us as fans an opportunity to look towards the 2011-12 season and discuss any areas which we would like to see the Pens improve upon in the future.

Up First:  Coach Dan Bylsma: 

We will look back at HCDB's promotion to head coach of the Penguins as well as his first two full seasons at the helm of the club.  After his unparalleled success during his inaugural season, the Penguins have seemed to digress a bit failing to make it past the first and second round of the playoffs in consecutive years.  Is this digression due to Bylsma's lack of change in the club's system, or is it simply that the Penguins suffered a few series of bad breaks the past two seasons that led to an early conclusion of their seasons?  Look for the first post of this series sometime this evening or tomorrow.  

The Return of Double J?

Last week the internet was a buzz with Pens fans contemplating the possibility of Jaromir Jagr of returning home to lace up the skates for the Penguins. As a Pens fan anywhere, hearing "Jagr," "Coming back," and "to Pittsburgh" in the same sentence put some excitement back into your life during the down time of the offseason.  Who wouldn't get excited at the possibility of one of the all-time greats coming back to the city where he started his career?

Western Conference Finals Preview

#1 Vancouver Canucks  vs.  #2 San Jose Sharks

The Western Conference Finals matchup includes two teams that have players labeled as playoff under achievers, and coincidentally, both teams have become jobbed as playoff choke artists. In fact it looked as if the Canucks would fit that billing as they squandered a 3-0 series lead against the Blackhawks in the first round, but would ultimately prevail in Game 7 to move on and then took care of the Nashville Predators in six games. The Sharks took care of the Los Angeles Kings in six games in round one, but looked almost reverted back to their playoff faltering ways after blowing a 3-0 lead against the Detroit Red Wings in the second round.  However, the Sharks would avoid another playoff collapse and move on to the Conference Finals after winning Game 7.  This could be a very good series between the two clubs that could go the distance as both clubs play similar high paced styles, and have gotten good goaltending throughout the playoffs so far.  After the jump we take a more in-depth look at the series.  

Eastern Conference Finals Game 1

Yeah I know this is a blog focusing mainly on the Pittsburgh Penguins, but hockey season does not stop once the Pens are eliminated from Stanley Cup contention.

Tbe Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning squared off for game one of the Eastern Conference Finals in Boston. This is a very interesting series, one of which may go the distance because the 1-3-1 deployed by the Bolts may stymie the Bruins if the Bolts manage to get a lead.

The 2011 Offseason

It is once again that dreaded time of year for fans of Pittsburgh sports teams.  The Offseason. It is the stretch from anywhere between April until mid-September where Yinzers have nothing to look forward to, except another losing season from the beloved Pirates. The longer the Penguins go into the playoffs, the more time that we don't have to divert our attention to the Pirates, but when the Pens lose early in the playoffs, the Battling Bucs are all we have.  Normally, we at least get a break from them beginning in July, when the Steelers start their training camp, but this year that saving grace is up in the air with the on going labor dispute in the NFL. In other words, this could be a very long summer for Pittsburgh, but hopefully it is a rewarding one when Ray Shero re-tools the lineup for next Fall. 


This post will focus on the Pens moving forward towards the beginning of training camp in September and the beginning of the regular season at the start of October. Ray Shero will have a very busy offseason as he has to deal with filling out a roster that currently has 10 unrestricted free agents and 2 restricted free agents. After the jump there will be a suggestion of next year's potential lines as well as insight into who Ray Shero should focus on resigning before the beginning of free agency this summer.  

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2010 and 2011 Season In Review--The Season of "What If?"

The 2010 season was the epitome of a roller coaster season, starting out at a low point with a mediocre beginning,  reaching new highs midway through, followed by a downward spiral with a few more dips until the end of the ride in April.  Somehow the Pens fought through adversity it and managed to secure home ice for the first round of the NHL playoffs.  However, when the casket closed on this season, the Pens did not have the firepower left in their roster to move on. We will take a look back at the season of "What If?" and re-experience the highs and lows along the way.  We will look at the offseason acquisitions all the way through the Pens being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs at the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning.   I wont go through each individual game, but I'll go through what the season felt like, more or less.  It begins after the jump. Enjoy.

Welcome to The Pond on 5th Ave

Well here is my debut into the world of blogging.  Take it easy on me, at least at first.  Actually I don't care what you have to say about me, so bring it on.

This Blog will contain my opinion (I'm no expert) about the Pittsburgh Penguins and the NHL.  I'm doing this because I have an opinion and the internet makes it possible to put out there for judgment.  I have no clue if anyone will read this blog, but if you do, please feel free to comment below, whether you agree or disagree with a pose.  Any suggestions are welcome as well.

When it comes to sports in Pittsburgh, everyone has an opinion and everyone is an expert.  When it comes to the Penguins, it seems more experts come on board sometime between the turn of the new year and early February. As stated above, I'm not an expert outside of a decade's worth of deck-hockey and roller-hockey.  So I'll just put my hockey thoughts up for trial here.

Secondly, I'm not an insider, and I won't pretend to be.  Anything I pose on here will contain a link from another side, or the site will be referenced.

First up:  A (semi) season in review.